The Pebble's Ripple Effect

THE BATTLE OF THE PEBBLE IN THE SHOE...

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

COLD HARD FACTS:

15% of all the people in church this week...

Will not be in church within a year period....

Think what this does in 2 years?

In 5 years 75% of the people in church today will not be in church?

I ponder WHY?

3/4 of the world is water...

The oceans of the world are made up of little drops...

I. DIFFICULTY CAN HURT... BUT SOMETIMES WE ARE NOT AS EFFECTED

BY THE GREAT MOUNTAIN WE CLIMB AS MUCH AS WE ARE EFFECTED

BY THE PEBBLE IN OUR SHOE...

A. Have you ever watched a COWBOY SHOW?

A small burr or a thorn gets under the saddle of the horse?

Think what happens?

Song of Songs 2:15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines

have tender grapes.

B. How long does it take to TRAVEL from SWEET to being MEAN and Cruel?

C. MOST OF US WOULD NEVER FALL BY A GREAT SIN...

BUT GRADUALLY OF A PERIOD OF TIME WE BECOME HARDHEARTED

AND STUBBORN...

D. IF YOU WILL KEEP? ...

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have

kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

1 John 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him.

And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

II. WARNING MY FRIEND, DO NOT FALL LITTLE BY LITTLE...

WE TEND TO PALLIATE SIN...

WE TRY TO HIDE SIN UNDER THE BLANKET?

A. Do we enjoy God's word? Is it a labor?

Do we enjoy pray? Or is it work?

DO WE ENJOY BEING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE SON OF GOD?

B. BEING A CHRISTIAN IS LIKENED AS TO THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB?

Does the spouse become HEAVY, the JOY STOLEN from the family?

C. WE TEND TO THINK LIGHTLY ABOUT SIN...

When we first COME TO KNOW JESUS AS MASTER AND LORD...

We have a conscience that is SO TENDER...

Romans 7:13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that

it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the

commandment might become exceeding sinful.

D. WE DESIRE TO PLEASE GOD AND NOT OFFEND HIS RULES...

The slightest of sin brings fear and correction.

WHEN THE VINE IS TENDER, THE BLOSSMS AND BLOOMS START TO BEAR

TENDER FRUIT... a serious changes occurs...

E. WE GROW CALLOUSED TO SPIRITUAL THINGS...

WE FAIL BY THE SPIRIT OF GRADUALNESS...

We tend to loose focus on the ETERNAL, and specialize in the TEMPORAL.

F. One DEGREE at a time...

I am told that if you PUT A FROG IN HOT WATER he will jump out...

But they say if you put a FROG IN COOL water and warm up ever so gently

that the FROG WILL SMILE WHILES HE BOILS to death?

G. Here we are today, THE SIN that once ALARMED US, is compromised

and becomes ACCEPTABLE?

H. IF YOU STAY NEAR A BOOMING CANNON, you can not hear the cricket singing...

I. CAN WE SEE A DIFFERNCE IN FALLING ...

AND TRIPPING?

III. HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED THE STORY OF THE YOUNG BOY

THAT DISCOVERED A HOLE IN THE SAFETY DIKE? WHILE EVERONE

WAS ENJOYING LIFE THE YOUNG BOY FOUND THE HOLE, THERE WAS

NO COMMITTEE MEETING, THE BOY DID WHAT HE COULD...

HE OFFERED THE USE OF HIS FINGER TO PLUG THE HOLE

AND SAVE THENATION...

A. LITTLE PROBLEMS CAN ERODE INTO LARGER PROBLEMS...

Luke 19:17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been

faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

B. If you can't be faithful in little things, what makes you think you can

handle BIG ISSUES?

Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge,

and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I

found none.

IV. FOLLOW THE TRAIL OF MAN KIND... LET US BRIEFLY LOOK AT THE

FIRST 4 KINGS OF ISRAEL... THEY ARE EXAMPLES OF THE PEBBLE STORY.

1. 1ST KING OF ISRAEL: SAUL SON OF KISH... SAUL HAD IT AND LOST IT...

THE MAN THAT LOST HIS CROWN...

A. SAUL was head and shoulders taller than anyone...

I. Chronicles 8:33 And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat

Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

1 Chronicles 8:40 And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour, archers,

and had many sons, and sons' sons, an hundred and fifty. All these are of the